W.Va. first responder radios crash for five hours

CHARLESTON, W. Va. &mdash Kanawha County officials are still worried about expensive digital radio equipment after Charleston fire and police department radios crashed for five hours last week.

State officials have channeled roughly $50 million in federal grant money so far pushing a project to upgrade emergency radio equipment all over the state to a new digital system. Kanawha County recently received about $1 million to buy digital radio equipment, and Charleston spent about $450,000 to convert its fire department and police department traffic division to digital communications.